Mayor Eric Adams and New York City police leaders blamed “outside agitators” for fanning the flames of anti-Israel protests at Columbia University and New York University as police made more arrests.
Adams, a Democrat and former police officer, praised the NYPD’s response during his usual Tuesday news conference at City Hall.
“We cannot have outside agitators come in and have a destructive effect on our city,” Adams said. “Someone was hoping something would happen at that NYU protest.”
“People peacefully protesting an issue are not throwing bottles at chairs,” the mayor added. “And we recognize that there are people who have nothing to do with this problem and are trying to make it worse, and we know what we’ve seen all over the country. Now, if those This could have been a dire situation had the police officers not shown a high level of discipline.”
The New York City Police Department confirmed that 120 people were taken into custody at NYU on Monday, 116 of whom were released on citations for trespassing.
The station identified four individuals who were issued desk appearance tickets. Asif Ali, 24, Queens. Tracy Jawad, 24, lives in Brooklyn. Bassel Yassein, 27, lives in Brooklyn. and Harrison Frahn, 22, of Brooklyn. All four are charged with resisting arrest and obstructing government administration, and Ali and Yassein are also charged with trespassing.
Columbia University moves to hybrid learning on main campus amid anti-Semitic protests
“What I learned during the Black Lives Matter protests was when we were informed that under the previous administration there were anarchists who came to our city with a determination to really disrupt and tear our city apart. “,” Adams said. “We strongly believe that this is the case right now. There are people here who are attached to any protest just to see police officers get bottles and chairs thrown at them. .”
On April 22, 2024, New York City police officers were arrested at New York University. (Selcuk Achar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Adams defended the choice to keep officers in riot gear, noting that he had seen photos of officers being hit in the head with chairs by protesters and their helmets dented.
“They’re going to protect themselves from a lot of people who are going to use this to actually cause violence in this city. And we’re going to, we’re going to seek them out, and we’re going to Please identify them,” the mayor added, echoing NYPD Commissioner Kaz Daughtry, who questioned why all the protesters were pitching similar tents at Columbia and NYU. did.
“Was there a fire sale of those tents? So there’s a lot of organizing going on,” Adams said. “We often see collaborative organizing efforts, and what is the purpose of that organizing? That’s the question we need to ask ourselves.”
In an appearance on WABC Tuesday morning, NYPD Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said Monday night’s protests “inflamed the mob mentality, incited the officers to react, to get one of them arrested.” The police department said it had identified a “known professional agitator”. They assault one of the demonstrators to create an image that says, “Look, I’m being brutally assaulted by the police.”
New York University (NYU) will hold a “Palestinian Liberation” protest on April 22, 2024. (Selcuk Achar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
New York Riots: Anti-Israel agitators throw bottles at NYPD, form human chain amid mass arrests
NYPD spokesperson Tariq Shepard, who appeared with Daughtry, explained the NYPD’s response.
“Before we go onto private property and say it’s trespassing, the landlord, in this case New York University or Columbia University, has to invite us,” Daughtry said. “If this is on a public road and it’s interfering with traffic, or if this is a public authority, we can make that judgment ourselves and enter accordingly. But even if it’s private property, If a crime is being committed, of course, if someone calls 911, we can intervene and take action.”
New York City police officers line up at New York University on April 22, 2024. (Selcuk Achar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Daughtry also noted that NYU on Monday gave students until 4 p.m. to leave the school, and how faculty lined up at the back of campus were “most defiant” to the officers responding to the scene. He added that he explained.
All 10 House Republicans in the New York delegation, led by House Republican Party Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, spoke out after a weekend demonstration in which a rabbi at an Ivy League school warned Jewish students to go home before school started. , called for the resignation of Columbia University President Minoush Shafiq. Passover because campus police and the NYPD could not guarantee their safety.
Columbia University leadership called on the NYPD to make more than 100 arrests on Thursday, a day after Shafik was held accountable by the House Education and Labor Committee in Washington, D.C. for the spiraling anti-Semitism at the university. However, the demonstrations escalated over the next few days. Over the weekend.
On April 22, 2024, police intervened and arrested over 100 New York University (NYU) students who were continuing to demonstrate against Israel. (Selcuk Achar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Shafik broke his silence in a statement early Monday morning, saying he preferred to talk to protesters on campus grounds without involving police, saying, “Anti-Semitic language hurts and frightens people.” “Like any other word used, it is unacceptable and inappropriate behavior,” he added. ”
Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also condemned the anti-Israel protests on the New York City campus, saying in a statement Monday, “I am appalled by the vicious anti-Semitism unfolding on Columbia University’s campus. “Threats of violence against students and the Jewish community.” Using terrorist rhetoric is horrifying, despicable and completely unacceptable. ”
